Ethyl chloride to ethanal.

The conversion of ethyl chloride to ethanal involves two steps: hydrolysis and oxidation. Here's the step-by-step process:

Step 1: Hydrolysis
Ethyl chloride (C2H5Cl) can be hydrolyzed using water (H2O) to produce ethanol (C2H5OH) and hydrochloric acid (HCl). The reaction typically requires a strong base such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to catalyze the reaction. The overall equation for the hydrolysis of ethyl chloride is:

C2H5Cl + H2O → C2H5OH + HCl

Step 2: Oxidation
Once ethanol is obtained, it can be further oxidized to ethanal (also known as acetaldehyde). This oxidation reaction can be achieved by various oxidizing agents, such as potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) in the presence of sulfuric acid (H2SO4). The reaction equation for the oxidation of ethanol to ethanal is as follows:

C2H5OH + [O] → CH3CHO + H2O

In this equation, [O] represents the oxidizing agent.

It's important to note that both steps should be performed under appropriate laboratory conditions with proper safety measures.